| "Stay Beautiful" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Manic Street Preachers | ||||
| from the album Generation Terrorists | ||||
| Released | 29 July 1991 | |||
| Recorded | Mid 1991 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Sean Moore, Richey Edwards | |||
| Manic Street Preachers singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Stay Beautiful" is a song by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers, released on 29 July 1991 by record label Columbia as the first single from the band's debut album, Generation Terrorists . [2]
The track started out under the working title of "Generation Terrorists" and originally featured the lyrics "Why don't you just fuck off" in the chorus, which was later cut to "Why don't you just... [gap]" in the released version with a guitar fill in the aforementioned gap. It has since become customary for fans to shout the original lyric when the band occasionally perform the song live. [3]
Marc Burrows of Drowned in Sound proclaimed "Stay Beautiful" a "straightforward punker", [1] and "the most pure punk record in their arsenal" alongside "Repeat", and that it had "more in common with their earlier indie-label records [...] than it does with its parent album". [1]
The music video for the song features the band performing inside a garishly coloured house being splashed with paint, before the setting is demolished by a clay-mation space octopus at the conclusion; referencing themes and events in Alan Moore's Watchmen .
"Stay Beautiful" was released as a single on 29 July 1991 by record label Columbia. [4] The single crept into the UK Singles Chart, reaching number 40 on 10 August 1991. [5] [6] It was re-issued six years later but failed again to make the top 40, reaching number 52 on 13 September 1997. [7]
The B-sides for all formats included "R.P. McMurphy", with the CD and 12-inch versions adding "Soul Contamination". The title of "R.P. McMurphy" is based on the protagonist of Ken Kesey's 1962 novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (which was subsequently made into a film). [8]
The title of "Stay Beautiful" was used by Renault in a television advertisement for a car in reference to the song.[ citation needed ] There is also a bar/club in London named Stay Beautiful in reference to the song. During his solo tour, bassist Nicky Wire performed there. [9]
Longtime music press champion of the band Simon Price co-created alternative "glam/rock/trash" nightclub Stay Beautiful. Named after the song, it drew heavily on the ethos and attitudes of the band.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Stay Beautiful" | 3:11 |
| 2. | "R.P. McMurphy" | 4:05 |
| 3. | "Soul Contamination" | 2:37 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Stay Beautiful" | 3:11 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 2. | "R.P. McMurphy" | 4:05 |
| 3. | "Soul Contamination" | 2:37 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Stay Beautiful" | 3:11 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 2. | "R.P. McMurphy" | 4:05 |
| Chart (1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (OCC) [7] | 40 |
Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Welsh rock band formed in Blackwood, Caerphilly, in 1986. The band consists of Nicky Wire and cousins James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore. They form a key part of the 1990s Welsh Cool Cymru cultural movement.
Generation Terrorists is the debut studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released on 10 February 1992 through record label Columbia.
Gold Against the Soul is the second studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released on 21 June 1993 by record label Columbia. The follow-up to the band's 1992 debut album Generation Terrorists, the record reached No.8 on the UK Albums Chart.
Lipstick Traces (A Secret History of Manic Street Preachers) is a compilation album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers, and consists of various B-sides, rarities and cover versions. It was released on 14 July 2003 by record label Sony, and reached number 11 on the UK Album Chart.
"You Stole the Sun from My Heart" is a song by Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers, released on 8 March 1999 as the third single from their fifth studio album, This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours (1998). All three members of the band—James Dean Bradfield, Sean Moore and Nicky Wire—share the writing credits. The song reached number five on the UK Singles Chart.
"The Masses Against the Classes" is a song by Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers, released as a limited-edition single in January 2000. It was a stand-alone single, not featured on any studio album, and was deleted, removed from wholesale supply, on the day of release. Despite being deleted on the day of release, the single peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart.
"There by the Grace of God" is a song by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released on 14 October 2002 by record label Epic as a single from the band's greatest hits album Forever Delayed.
"Slash 'n' Burn" is a song by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released on 16 March 1992 by record label Columbia as the fourth single from the band's debut album, Generation Terrorists (1992).
"Motorcycle Emptiness" is a song by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released on 1 June 1992 through Columbia Records. It was the fifth single to be released from their debut album, Generation Terrorists.
"La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)" is a song by Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released in July 1993 by record label Columbia as the second single from their second studio album Gold Against the Soul. It reached number 22 on the UK Singles Chart.
"You Love Us" is a song by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was initially released as a single on 7 May 1991 by record label Heavenly. The song was re-recorded and released on 20 January 1992 by record label Columbia as the third single from their debut studio album Generation Terrorists.
"Love's Sweet Exile" is a song by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released on 28 October 1991 by record label Columbia as the second single from their debut album, Generation Terrorists (1992). The B-side, "Repeat (UK)", appears on the same album.
"From Despair to Where" is a song by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released on 1 June 1993 by record label Columbia as the first single from their second studio album Gold Against the Soul.
Lifeblood is the seventh studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. Recorded in 2003, it was released on 1 November 2004 by record label Sony Music UK.
"Empty Souls" is a song by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released in January 2005 by record label Epic as the second and final single taken from their seventh studio album, Lifeblood. The song debuted and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and reached number 18 in Ireland.
"Little Baby Nothing" is a song recorded by Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers for their debut studio album, Generation Terrorists (1992). It was released on 9 November 1992 by Columbia Records as the sixth and final single from the album. The song features guest vocals by American actress and singer Traci Lords.
"Roses in the Hospital" is a song by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released in September 1993 by record label Epic as the third single from their second album, Gold Against the Soul (1993). The song was written by Richey Edwards, Nicky Wire, James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore, and produced by Dave Eringa. It peaked at number 15 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Motown Junk" is the second single by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released on 21 January 1991.
Send Away the Tigers is the eighth studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers, released on 7 May 2007 by record label Columbia. It reached number 2 on the UK Albums Chart.
Rewind the Film is the eleventh studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was recorded in 2013 and released on 16 September 2013 by record label Columbia. The sound is very different from previous records and is more acoustic-driven. It features guests Lucy Rose, Cate Le Bon and Richard Hawley.
After signing to the Sony label, "Stay Beautiful" became the Manics' first Top 40 single in July 1991
